I love that feeling of relaxing on a cruise ship once you’re settled in, and grabbing your favourite drink to enjoy the view as you sail from port.
But there are so many amazing drinks to choose from – how do you know which one to go for first? Are you the kind of person to stick to what you love, or try everything?
I asked my Facebook followers for some inspiration for their favourite cruise drinks, and here’s what they said:
1. Pina Colada
The Pina Colada is one of the all-time classic tropical cocktails. The blend of rum, coconut and pineapple is the ideal drink for a Caribbean cruise, though feel free to enjoy it anywhere!
2. Aperol Spritz
The Aperol Spritz has become extremely popular in bars on land and at sea. While it was invented in the early 1900s, it seems to be everywhere in the last few years especially. A mix of Aperol and prosecco, topped up with soda, it’s certainly refreshing but it also splits opinion for many!
I didn’t like Aperol Spritz for a long time, despite my continued efforts to try it. That was, however, until someone suggested switching the soda water for lemonade. What a game-changer! I love it now!
3. Miami Vice
The Miami Vice is a popular Carnival cocktail that uses existing cocktail blends for a punchy, fruity flavour. It’s a combination of frozen pina colada mix, frozen strawberry daiquiri mix and rum, for a drink that’s as colourful as it is tasty.
4. Mango Meltdown
If you love mango then you’ll love this fresh, fruity and frozen cocktail that’s popular on Norwegian Cruise Line. It contains rum and amaretto, mixed with mango puree and strawberry mix. A winner on those sunny days when you want to cool off!
5. Sparkling Wine
Not every drink needs to be a cocktail, and a glass of sparkling wine is often the ideal way to toast your relaxing holiday. It’s a great drink for people watching from a bar or when you’re about to take in a theatre show, or to celebrate a special occasion.
6. Mimosa
Why not give your sparkling wine a fruity twist and enjoy a delicious mimosa? These are a great way to start your day too, if you want a special drink to accompany your breakfast.
7. Purple Rain
The Purple Rain is a vibrant cocktail packed with flavour. It’s also quite potent – a mix of grenadine, rum, vodka, schnapps and gin, with blue curacao to give it that purple hue.
8. Mudslide
So many people suggested the mudslide – it’s clearly a very popular drink! And it’s not really a surprise considering it’s essentially a booze-filled milkshake. It contains vodka, coffee liqueur and Irish cream, along with cream and chocolate. Definitely something different if you’re sick of all the fruity flavours!
9. Kiss On The Lips & Twilight Zone
Two for one in this photo that was taken on a Carnival cruise! A Kiss on the Lips is a blend of peach schnapps and grenadine with frozen mango, while a Twilight Zone is a melon-based cocktail containing rum, coconut and blue curacao along with melon liqueur.
10. Mojito
Another classic cocktail and one that’s a fantastic refresher for poolside or after you’ve eaten. A mojito is a mix of white rum, sugar, lime juice, soda water and the key ingredient mint, giving you a drink with plenty of zing.
11. Pimms & Lemonade
Technically this is considered a cocktail, even though it’s just a mix of Pimms (a fruity, gin-based spirit) and lemonade along with some fruit and cucmber. It’s a very British drink as epitomised by this photo showing it enjoyed with scones!
12. Sunset Martini
Where better to get a Martini than the Martini Bar on a Celebrity Cruises ship? A Sunset Martini contains gin, peach schnapps, and then a mix of pineapple and cranberry juices. Very sophisticated, but also delicious.
13. Cucumber Sunrise
Fresh from the onboard Alchemy Bar on a Carnival cruise, the Cucumber Sunrise is light and tasty, with that perfect blend of being fancy and fun. It contains vodka, watermelon syrup, lime juice and orange juice along with fresh cucumber wheels.
14. Blue Hawaiian
A drink that packs plenty of flavour, the Blue Hawaiian is the ideal cruise cocktail – it looks amazing, it’s got a tropical feel and it has quite the boozy kick. It contains tequila and blue curacao, along with frozen lemonade mix and simple syrup for a pleasant, but not too overpowering sweetness.
15. Frozen Watermelon Margarita
It’s not clear where this particular cocktail picture was found, but you can get frozen watermelon margaritas from the Lime & Coconut bars on Royal Caribbean ships, so it could be there. While the recipe hasn’t been published, they do use a watermelon syrup that would pair well with their regular tequila and sour mix.
16. Pink Gin Spritz
Pink gin, prosecco and lemonade – three simple ingredients that make up this delightfully light and flavourful cocktail that you can find on P&O’s ships in the Anderson’s Bar and other venues.
17. Frozen 24K Golden Margarita
This is a beautiful drink option from Princess Cruises if you’re someone who enjoys a beverage that looks as good as it tastes. It’s also available on the rocks, if you don’t want the frozen version. It contains a blend of tequilas along with grand mariner, lime juice and simple syrup.
18. Rum Swizzle
While Norwegian Cruise Line’s Rum Swizzle loses some of that visual appeal when in a plastic cup, it’s still a great flavour. Often referred to as Bermuda’s national drink, it’s a blend of different rums mixed with falernum, a liqueur, along with orange and pineapple juices.
19. Mermaid Mimosa
Available on Princess cruises, this is another beautifully simple cocktail that is packed with amazing flavour. It’s a mimosa that uses quality Champagne along with a blend of orange and peach juices, wonderfully refreshing whatever time of the day you want to try it.
20. Coco Loco
A very refreshing cocktail that you can enjoy on many Royal Caribbean ships, the Coco Loco is packed with fruity flavours. It’s a mix of dark rum and coconut rum, along with extra coconut cream and grenadine.
The fruit flavours are a mix of orange juice concentrate, pineapple juice concentrate and papaya juice concentrate – if you’re British, think a coconut-y, boozy Um Bongo!
21. Singapore Sling
A Singapore Sling is an iconic cocktail, one you need to try if you do ever visit Singapore, but it’s also available on various cruise lines. It’s a complex blend of flavours, containing gin, cherry brandy, benedictine, bitters, pineapple and lime juices, and it’s the height of sophistication.
22. Bushwacker
Similar to a mudslide, this frozen chocolate-based cocktail originated in the US Virgin Islands. It contains a selection of liqueurs – Irish cream, coffee, almond and chocolate – as well as a blend of vodka and rum, with cream of coconut to top it up.
Final Word
There you have it – some amazing drinks there that I’m sure have you wishing you were on a cruise with one of these in front of you.
Of course, it’s always worth considering a drinks package if you want to try a range of different cocktails and drinks onboard, and my drinks package calculator will let you know whether it’s good value for your cruise.
Do you have your own favourites? Let me know yours in the comments.
Related Posts:
- 10 Must-Try Foods From Your Favourite Cruise Lines
- The Ultimate Guide to Cruise Drink Packages
- 19 Best Carnival Drink Package Tips
Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
